Nua Surgical appoint global women's health veteran Elizabeth Garner as Non-Executive Chair

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Oct 10, 2023, 09:00 ET

GALWAY, Ireland, Oct. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Irish Start-up Nua Surgical have announced women's health veteran Elizabeth Garner, MD, MPH as the new Non-Executive Chairwoman of the Board. The award-winning start-up, which is dedicated to improving maternal and infant outcomes, is currently focused on the development and commercialization of a patented surgical instrument that facilitates superior access to the uterus during caesarean delivery, the most frequent major surgery in the world. The device also aims to reduce surgical risk factors that can lead to serious maternal or infant complications.

Elizabeth Garner, MD, MPH appointed new Board Chair of Irish women's health Start-up Nua Surgical.

Known for her medical expertise, integrity and global view of health equity, Dr Garner is a seasoned strategic- and business-minded executive and corporate board member with a career-long focus on addressing unmet needs in conditions and issues that affect women's health and quality of life.

Speaking about the appointment, Nua Surgical CEO Barry McCann stated: "We are thrilled to welcome Beth as our new Chairwoman and look forward to working closely with her in the months and years to come. The company is making great progress and the time was right to appoint an independent non-executive Chair. Having Beth in this role ensures that the patient and maternal health outcomes remain front and centre of our mission, and we have no doubt that Beth is a perfect fit for Nua Surgical and our leadership team."

With a career spanning four decades across medicine and industry, Dr Garner has wide expertise in the full life cycle of medical device and drug development from concept through to commercialization. Currently, Dr Garner is the US Chief Scientific Officer of Ferring, a leading mid-sized global company focused on reproductive and maternal health. Previous to this, she held senior management roles in various companies including Chief Medical Officer of ObsEva and Agile Therapeutics, VP of Medical Affairs at Myriad Genetics, Senior Director at Abbott Laboratories and Director of Clinical Research at Merck.

Dr. Garner received joint M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Harvard Medical (HMS) and Public Health Schools. She trained in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women's (BWH)/Massachusetts General Hospitals and completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at BWH/Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Prior to transitioning into industry, she was Assistant Professor at HMS.

Elizabeth is also an experienced board member of public, private and non-profit healthcare companies, and is the current President of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), a professional organization whose mission is to advance women physicians, advocate for equity, and ensure excellence in healthcare. She has extensive experience as a media spokesperson and is a frequent panelist and speaker on a range of topics including innovation and investment in women's health, women's leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and diversity in clinical trials. She is an author on close to 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Garner is a 2019 and 2023 awardee of the PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring Individuals in the life sciences industry and was the 2022 recipient of the Woman in Science Award from the American Medical Women's Association.

Commenting on her new role, Dr Garner said "I'm truly honored to have the opportunity to serve as Nua Surgical's first board chair. The work that Barry and his exceptional team are doing toward developing products that have the potential to improve outcomes for women, their babies, and healthcare providers is so important. I'm looking forward to joining them on this exciting journey."

About Nua Surgical

Founded in 2019, by Barry McCann, Marie-Therese Maher and Padraig Maher, Nua Surgical is a spinout from the University of Galway and BioInnovate Ireland. The leadership team have worked alongside obstetricians to develop The SteriCISION C-Section Retractor - the only self-retaining surgical retractor specifically designed for the unique dynamics of C-section surgery and which can also address the challenges with obese patients. This simple, ergonomically-designed and patented device will provide fast, easy and safe retraction, enabling the clinician to deliver the baby, repair tissue and crucially identify bleeds. This single use sterile device will aim to reduce risk factors that lead to surgical complications, benefiting the patient, the clinician and the healthcare system. For more information visit www.nuasurgical.com

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SOURCE Nua Surgical